1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to a methodology and tool by which individuals can participate in and obtain results of a screening evaluation of aspects of vision development and visual processing. The results of the screening can aid individuals in obtaining help for learning difficulties that are caused or exacerbated by inadequate vision development. In particular, the present invention pertains to a screening evaluation tool that enables a screening evaluation to be conducted from any physical location via the Internet or other network. The present invention provides instructions and mechanisms to probe areas of vision (related to learning) including:                a. Eye movements used during reading;        b. Visual imagery of mental pictorial images generated by viewing;        c. Visual recall of mental pictorial images maintained over time;        d. Mental manipulation of pictorial images transformed spatially; and        e. Visual manipulation of mental pictorial images viewed from multiple spatial perspectives.        
2. Discussion of Related Art
Generally, parents discover that their children are having difficulty performing adequately in school months or years after the source of the problem exists. There is no notification until a given child is far enough behind peers to warrant attention, and by that time the child is quickly falling farther behind. Once notified, parents begin an often painful process of determining the source of the problem (e.g., if the problem can be identified) and a corresponding solution (e.g., if a solution exists), or identifying a compensatory method or coping strategy (e.g., if the problem cannot be ameliorated). This process often takes a long time, can be very expensive, and may be incomplete in terms of examining current and possible future learning methods for the child.
The choices available to parents of children with learning difficulties are varied. These include, but are not limited to, school educational or psychoeducational testing, private educational or psychoeducational testing, medical evaluations, speech and language evaluations, psychological evaluations and neurological evaluations. Many of the evaluation methods can result in a diagnosis of learning disability with or without an evaluation of the cause of difficulty.
There are glaring deficiencies in the methodologies of testing for learning difficulties. These deficiencies include the substantial time required for conducting testing, omission of areas tested that may reveal root causes or exacerbations of learning problems, lack of a manner for eliminating the source or sources of dysfunction, and inadequate coping or compensatory mechanisms that do not address the source(s) at all.
The systems that are currently in place and available to individuals seeking help in this area often do not test for, emphasize, nor seek treatment for any dysfunction or lack of development within an individual's vision system.